Young alumni spotlight: Priyanka Naik
Hailing from Staten Island, New York, Priyanka Naik (CAS’10) came to Boston University in 2006 with dreams of being a doctor. A difficult path for anyone, Priyanka powered through her pre-med coursework, all the while wondering if the pit in her stomach meant she was headed down the wrong road. Her answer came in the form of a Macroeconomics 101 course taught by professor Idson, whose lectures brought to life the interconnectedness of nations and markets and how each and every one of us is affected by these basic principles on a daily basis. With these new ideas taking hold, making the switch from Biology to Economics felt natural, and paved the way for new experiences and new adventures that would have a profound impact on how she viewed the world and her place within it.
One such experience, which Priyanka describes as “a pivotal turning point in my time at BU,” was her study abroad program in London the fall semester of her senior year. An opportunity she once thought impossible due to her intense science coursework, her economics and law program put a pin to her small, east-coast bubble and exposed her to a whole new world of sights, sounds, and tastes. This blending of cultures through a multitude of senses allowed her to begin seriously evaluating her career goals and fueled a passion for storytelling through food.
From health science to healthy food
Keeping these lessons at the forefront of her mind, after graduation, Priyanka began consulting at the boutique firm Blaqwell and launched her food blog Chef Priyanka in the same year. Around that same time, she decided to become vegetarian and her new lifestyle left her less than satisfied with her dining out options. Forced to choose between a salad and a side dish, Priyanka realized the Western world knew little about vegetarian food and she was determined to expand their horizons. Raised in an Indian household who’s culture “does so many cool things with vegetables and beans,” she leaned into her new calling and began building her personal brand as an accomplished self-taught cook who’s original vegetarian dishes put an “Indian twist on global classics.”
Using Twitter to reach out to brands, food companies, and fellow bloggers, Priyanka jumped feet first into the culinary world and became a contributing editor for PETA, Meatless Mondays, and Foodista, and Foodgawker. Developing her own unique recipes based on classic dishes from around the world, Priyanka began gaining a following and soon realized how important it was for her professional life to align with her life in the kitchen. She made the move to digital media starting at VivaKi (Publicis Groupe) and ensured that every corporate setting she found herself in provided her with the opportunity to incorporate her passion for food. Her excitement around cooking was infectious, to say the least, and soon she and her coworkers were hosting office cooking events like cook-off challenges and founded Bloomberg Pantry, a challenge Priyanka cooked up in which she made meals using only the ingredients found in Bloomberg’s office kitchen. It was only a matter of time before these office duels made their way to prime-time television, and in 2017 Priyanka got her 48 minutes and 47 seconds of fame and the opportunity of a lifetime.
After several rounds of auditions and two cutthroat rounds of taped challenges, Chef Priyanka and her nacho cheese pav bhaji (a dish she affectionately calls the Indian Sloppy Joe) stole the show and walked away with the $10,000 grand prize on Food Network’s Cooks vs Cons. Pitted against two professional chefs and one other amateur home cook, Priyanka’s creativity and resourcefulness allowed her to adopt some pretty interesting ingredients into original Indian inspired dishes and propelled her to a delicious victory. Instantly recognizable by her signature red glasses, her compromise to the no makeup rule while filming Cooks vs Cons, popularity for Priyanka’s unique dishes exploded and she soon found herself with over 12K+ followers and 500K+ views.
Winning a competition like this would be the capstone achievement for many chefs, but for Priyanka, it was just a taste of what was possible and catapulted her into a whole new culinary scene. She quickly expanded her online reach and became a contributing editor for the Staten Island Advance Food and Entertainment section and was featured in GQ – a day in the life of Chef Priyanka with MSI Laptops. But the internet was not her only platform and after joining Twitter as a Partner Manager this past year, she set her sights on yet another office kitchen. In July, Chef Priyanka brought her culinary talents to Twitter’s NYC HQ and San Fran HQ, serving up dishes like Cilantro Pesto Bucatini with Almond-Cumin “Parmigiana” and her Food Network award-winning Nacho Cheese Pav Bhaji to more than 2400+ tweeps between the two offices. She also lent her brand-building expertise as a featured speaker at TECHmunch NYC – Content Creator, Food Blogger, and Influencer conference in September. Jumping straight back into the kitchen, she manned her first 1000+ person event, “Food Loves Tech” with Farm. One serving up over 1000+ portions of 2 original vegan dishes.
Sharing her recipe for success
At all her appearances, she reminds those she meets that her blog is about empowering others in the kitchen with every single recipe she develops. With this mission in mind, she made her next big move to leap off the screen and into print by signing with Transatlantic Literary Agency Inc. to publish her very own cookbook. Priyanka says the book will bring together her Indian heritage with her American upbringing in Staten Island. It has always been her goal to “educate people on how vegetarian food can be healthy, fun, and satisfying and share my lifestyle with others” and with a thriving online community, Twitter following, Facebook page, and Instagram account it is clear she is doing just that.
However, food has a much deeper meaning for Priyanka than simply pretty plating or spot on flavors. She has always seen her dishes as a way to share her culture and unique individual identity with the world around her and educate others on the vibrant heritage she is so proud of. Heading back to Twitter’s NYC HQ for a second time just a few days ago, Priyanka used her encore appearance in the Twitter kitchen to share a 6-course Indian meal to celebrate Diwali. Priyanka writes that “this is a big deal for me, as Diwali is not officially recognized in the US, so working for a large tech company that gives me the platform to showcase my craft and culture is amazing and I am grateful!” A firm believer that food can feed your soul, just as much as it feeds your stomach, Priyanka continues to add her Indian flare to every recipe she creates and hopes that her meals inspire others to proudly embrace their unique background and share their story with the world.